Australians urged to 'lawfully evade' unfair prices on digital goods

After going through a year-long rigmarole of summonses and interrogations to find out why Australians are being overcharged by as much as 66 percent on digitally-distributed Apple, Microsoft and Adobe products, and how the practice of "geo-blocking" prevents customers from seeking fairer prices elsewhere, an Australian parliamentary committee has finally hit on a solution. In the words of committee chairman Nick Champion, speaking to ABC News:

"What we want to do is make sure that consumers are aware of the extent to which geo-blocking applies to them and the extent to which they can lawfully evade [it]."

Now, if you were hoping that the Australian government would somehow force these companies to drop their prices down to US-equivalent levels, then this quote may admittedly sound a bit weak. It might also seem impractical, since geo-blocking is designed to be difficult to evade, by binding a customer's IP address, credit card or other details to their home market. Then again, things start to make more sense when we factor in the committee's other suggestions.

In particular, it proposes that the country's Copyright Act be amended to make it clear that an Australian won't be prosecuted just because they annoyed a multinational tech company by circumventing its geographic restrictions -- and, indeed, the population as a whole should be taught "tools and techniques" to achieve this wherever possible. The committee even recommends that Australians should have a "right of resale," such that they could legally remove locks on digital content that limits it to one user or one ecosystem. We have no idea how seriously the government will take these ideas, or how quickly it may implement them, but the committee's defiant tone makes for some good reading at the source link.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Software, Mobile

Comments

Via: ABC News, HotHardware

Source: Committee report (PDF download)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XduLVOI0ix4/

wwe wrestlemania oakland shooting

A guide to the 2013 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

Paul J. Richards / AFP - Getty Images

Secretary of State John Kerry (center-left) hosts a dinner with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (right 2nd from end) and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat (3rd) in the Thomas Jefferson Room of the Department of State Monday.

By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News

For the first time in almost three years, Israelis and Palestinians are meeting face to face for peace talks. Foreign policy analysts say a comprehensive deal will be extremely difficult to achieve, but there is room for agreement on some issues.

The talks opened with a dinner Monday night in Washington and get underway in earnest on Tuesday. They?re expected to last nine months. Here?s what you need to know about the latest peace process.

Why now?
Plans for the talks fell into place after Israel agreed to release about 100 of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli jails.

Former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, will guide the Mideast peace talks, aiming to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel and to find agreement on borders and security. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

Many of them have been behind bars for two decades, convicted of attacks against Israel before the Israeli-Palestinian talks of 1993. They are to be released in stages over several months, depending on progress in the talks.

What are the odds that something will get done?
Much better for the earlier rounds of the talks than the later. In Washington, the two sides will start with the basics of future meetings ? the where and how. But there were signs Monday that the two sides don?t even agree on which topics should be addressed when.

Later talks, to be held in the Middle East, will deal with the real questions.

Among them: What would the borders of a Palestinian state be? How might Jerusalem be divided? What happens to the millions of people who are descended from Palestinians that were driven from their homes when Israel was created, and who want to return?

Any breakthrough will depend not just on compromise but on mutual trust, said Aaron David Miller, a vice president at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars who has advised U.S. presidents of both parties on the conflict.

And the level of trust today? ?I wouldn?t say it?s subzero, but it?s not great,? he said.

Are they close to a deal on anything?
If the two sides find common ground, it might be on the borders of a future Palestinian state or a security arrangement, some analysts say. The gaps on those two matters are still wide, but it?s conceivable that they could be closed.

Martin Indyk was tapped to lead new round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. NBC News' Steve Handelsman reports.

For example: The Palestinians want the West Bank, where an estimated 360,000 Israeli settlers live. Most of them could be annexed into Israel with small changes to the map, in exchange for equal land that Israel would give to the Palestinians.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a hawk on the border issue, partly because it could put Palestinians within rocket range of key Israeli targets.

?He may surprise us,? said Natan Sachs, a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, part of the Brookings Institution. ?We should hope he does.?

On the Jerusalem and refugee questions, the politics back home for both sides are extremely tough, and there?s little or no leeway, Miller said. As for how far apart they are on those issues, ?Think about the Grand Canyon,? he said.

How is this playing in Israel and among Palestinians?
Polls have shown that sizable majorities of Israelis and Palestinians want a so-called two-state solution. As you might expect, though, the politics are dicey in both cases.

The Israeli cabinet voted 13-7 to release the prisoners, but Netanyahu faces opposition within his own conservative party, Likud, and from further to the right. He may have room to maneuver by shunning the far right and seeking cooperation to his left, Sachs said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian protesters clashed with police over the weekend in the West Bank. One of the chants recited by protesters held that the Palestinian cause ?will never be resolved except by the rifle.?

What is the American role?

Charles Dharapak / AP

Secretary of State John Kerry with Martin Indyk, special envoy for the talks.

It took an intense effort by Secretary of State John Kerry to get the Israelis and Palestinians to the table. He said Monday that he was seeking ?reasonable compromises? in the talks but was under no illusions about the challenge.

?If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago,? he said.

Experts on the conflict say that President Barack Obama will probably have to get more deeply involved to achieve a comprehensive deal, and they say he?ll only do it if he believes Kerry?s team has gotten them close enough.

Who?s going to be at the table?
For the Palestinians, their chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, and an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, Mohammed Shtayyeh.

For the Israelis, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and an adviser, Yitzhak Molcho.

The United States will be represented by Martin Indyk, a two-time American ambassador to Israel who now leads the foreign policy program at Brookings.

On Monday, Kerry named Indyk special envoy to the region, a title giving him broad responsibility as the administration?s point man. That will include a seat at the bargaining table ? though if he spends too much time there, it could be a bad sign.

Presidents name special envoys regularly. Most Americans learned Paul Bremer?s name when President George W. Bush named him special envoy to Iraq in 2003. The late Richard Holbrooke was special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he pressed President Hamid Karzai to clean up his government.

Indyk was a student in Israel during the Yom Kippur war of 1973. He said the challenge was humbling, but not impossible.

?It?s been my conviction for 40 years,? he told reporters, ?that peace is possible.?

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

This story was originally published on Mon Jul 29, 2013 8:19 PM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663309/s/2f5094a5/sc/20/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A70C290C197582150Ea0Eguide0Eto0Ethe0E20A130Eisraeli0Epalestinian0Epeace0Etalks0Dlite/story01.htm

Olympics Live Mens Gymnastics Allison Schmitt Olympic Schedule Kyla Ross Montenegro Olympic Games

BMW's Electric i3: All Vroom, No Gas

BMW's all-electric i3 is here. And boy is it a sight to behold. It looks nothing like any other BMW we've seen before, but it's real and goes on sale early next year.

Read more...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/bmws-electric-i3-all-vroom-no-gas-948723099

Eclampsia Kendrick Lamar JJ Abrams New Orleans Pelicans chris brown hillary clinton apple stock

10 College Basketball Stars Who Won't Transition Well to the NBA Game

Russ Smith, like Marshall Henderson, can score a lot. And he does so, a lot.

Lightning quick and fearless about contact, Smith would seem a prime candidate to transcend his physical limitations and succeed at the pro level. And he can, if he can become as creative a distributor as he is a scorer.

There are few NBA players today listed at 6'0" and 165 pounds, and those who are don't play any position aside from point guard. Smith has never had to create for others with steady point guard Peyton Siva next to him. With Siva gone, Smith may get more chances to play on the ball as a means to take pressure off new points Chris Jones and Terry Rozier.

A decent 21 percent assist rate shows that Smith can find his teammates when he's motivated, but the fact that he finished fifth in America in field-goal attempts demonstrates how rarely that motivation strikes him.

Smith's shot selection is often questionable. Hoop-Math points out that he took more two-point jumpers than either rim attempts or threes, despite sinking only 30 percent of those mid-range efforts. NBA coaches will staple him to the bench for such performances.

Again, Smith and Henderson have similar dilemmas. Smith, though, seems more likely to follow the route of Rockets reserve Patrick Beverley, who learned the point guard position in Europe before coming to the NBA. While Henderson is much more likely to give the NBA the finger and keep being a conscience-free scorer, Smith should be a lot more receptive to coaching.

We may see Russ Smith in the NBA, but it may not be immediate.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1718593-10-college-basketball-stars-who-wont-transition-well-to-the-nba-game

toure patti smith lottery winners lottery winners april fools day pranks ohio state vs kansas daniel von bargen

Perrigo to buy Elan for $8.6B, seeks tax savings

DUBLIN (AP) ? U.S. drugmaker Perrigo agreed Monday to buy Ireland's Elan for $8.6 billion in a deal that should allow the rapidly growing company to reduce its tax bill and boost its royalty stream.

Perrigo Co. said it would pay Elan Corp.'s investors $6.25 per share in cash and $10.25 in Perrigo stock, an 11 percent premium over Elan's closing price Friday. Elan shares in Dublin surged 13 percent higher to 12.58 euros ($16.71), above Perrigo's offer price, following news of the takeover.

After spending four months defeating a series of hostile, lower-priced takeover bids by Royal Pharma, Elan earlier in July said it was open to better offers. Several potential U.S. suitors sought to acquire Elan's flow of royalties from drugs it helped develop, particularly the multiple sclerosis fighter Tysabri.

Perrigo, which has been headquartered in the small western Michigan town of Allegan since 1887, said it would move its tax residence to Ireland and hopes to cut its tax liabilities nearly in half as it grows non-U.S. sales.

Perrigo is already the largest maker of generic drugs for major retail chains in the United States, including Walgreens and Wal-Mart. It has rapidly expanded overseas since 2005 with acquisitions in Israel, Britain, Mexico and Australia.

A new Irish base would allow Perrigo's non-U.S. sales to be taxed at a much lower rate. Ireland imposes 12.5 percent tax on corporate profits, one of the lowest rates in Europe, whereas the United States levies 35 percent.

Perrigo and Elan said a transitional company called New Perrigo would be registered in Ireland and traded on the New York and Israeli stock exchanges. They said the merger meant existing Perrigo investors would own 71 percent of the company, Elan investors the rest.

Perrigo's chief executive and chairman, Joe Papa, said the move to Ireland should produce more than $150 million in increased net profits annually because of lower taxes and efficiencies from combined operations.

"This strategic transaction aligns with Perrigo's acquisition strategy and our previously stated intentions to grow our international business. We expect New Perrigo to create tremendous value for our shareholders," Papa said in a statement.

Elan is one of the great boom, bust and recovery stories of Ireland. In the late 1990s its shares soared as the company positioned itself as a pioneer of biotechnology and, in particular, a leader in efforts to find a treatment or cure for Alzheimer's disease.

But Elan faced ruin in 2002 after its Alzheimer's trials failed and the company was caught hiding losses in Enron-style accounting tricks.

A new management team led by former Merrill Lynch banker Kelly Martin drastically pared down Elan and focused on developing Tysabri. The intravenously delivered drug was designed to slow or halt the paralyzing effects of MS, an incurable disease of the central nervous system that afflicts millions worldwide.

Tysabri, a joint venture with the Massachusetts-based drugmaker Biogen Idec, faced disaster after its launch in 2005 when it was linked to development of a rare, often fatal brain-inflammation disease. But Elan and Biogen Idec persuaded U.S. and European regulators to put Tysabri back on the market in 2006 and the drug, prescribed under restricted rules reflecting its risks, has steadily grown to become a world-leading treatment for MS patients.

Elan sold much of its ownership share of Tysabri to Biogen Idec in February for $3.25 billion in cash and a minority share in future royalties. That deal opened up a behind-the-scenes scramble among several U.S.-based companies to acquire Elan for its healthy cash flow and Irish tax base.

The agreement with Biogen Idec means New Perrigo would collect up to 25 percent of future royalties from Tysabri, which had global sales of $1.6 billion last year.

Perrigo's proposed takeover of Elan, subject to regulatory approval in the United States and Ireland, is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-07-29-EU-Ireland-Elan-Perrigo/id-cd97c41b545e4f01aece65da27d63943

brian dawkins north korea news

You have a friend request from Santa Claus: How Facebook covered its site in gift wrap

If you want to know how a digital enterprise is faring in this fluxy world, try an experiment.

Don?t think about how visible a brand is, or how beloved of investors, or how exciting its management. Rather, ask your own darn self: Have you even thought about spending so much as one thin dime at that particular digital shop in the past month?

If the answer is yep, 11 cents or $1500 or $12.50, the company is humming along just fine. Or maybe even soaring, as Facebook suddenly was, shooting up 30% on Thursday, and dipping only negligibly on Friday.

?We were wrong,? admitted Richard Greenfield of BTIG Research, who?d been among those chanting sell-Facebook.

This isn?t exact science. Much of the rocket surge of Facebook stock is credited to an increase in spending on mobile ads, the Holy Grail for all tech companies these days. But it?s also clear, just from a glance at the News Feed, that Facebook doesn?t just want those Madison Avenue dollars: It wants yours, too.

Now, ask yourself: You didn?t spend any money at Facebook this quarter, did you? A little disbelief might inflect the question, which wouldn?t have even made sense a year ago. Facebook used to be a place where users ponied up information for access. Privacy and dignity, sure?but not money.

That?s changed. Many of our credit-card bills now reflect Gift payments to Facebook. ?Real moments. Real gifts,? says the slogan. ?Real money,? someone might add. This is not that kind of esoteric fortune-making that was promised in the IPO: dizzy initiatives involving awareness and advertising and partnerships. This is about the bell of a cash register, and the?get this?exchange of money for goods.

Cruise around on Facebook, reading airline complaints or bon mots involving Carlos Danger, and you now find yourself half at a checkout counter. Starbucks cards. iTunes cards. Philipp Keel calendars. Flowers. Into the cart they go, and then the birthday people are contacted; addresses are nefariously solicited; flowers and tunes and baked goods are bestowed.

And your muscle memory gets the point: Facebook is for shopping. The home page isn?t just plastered with display ads; it?s also dotted by little gift boxes tied with red bows. It?s a social network covered in wrapping paper.

Years ago, Amazon turned from being an online bookstore to a massive content site chocked, far fuller than any online magazine or channel, with reviews and lists and discussions and biographies and videos. You wheel around that galactic site, these days, doing makework ?research? into various items, and then you happen to merchandise that reading and research by buying a few chunks of expensive consumer electronics. No ads. All sales.

Once Facebook followed suit and started selling regular, tangible, marked-up, cheap-to-make stuff?trinkets and coffee and chocolate?right in the middle of things, it seemed clear the company had remembered how to make money, real money, now and forever. Sell stuff. And we?re all buying. Thirty percent seems only just reward as this elementary lesson dawns for Facebook and its users.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-stock-gifts-season-150923121.html

miley cyrus game 7 ray allen Zara Calgary flooding

Sahara Force India's Sutil will start tomorrow’s Hungarian GP from P11

Adrian Sutil (Q2: 1:20.569, P11): ?The first part of qualifying was quite tricky and it was difficult to deliver the pace we expected.

Adrian Sutil, Sahara Force India VJM06

Photo by: XPB Images

I had a good feeling with the car, but we were not especially quick and I was only P15 by the end of Q1. I did not really know where we were losing out, but the team made some adjustments and that improved things for Q2.

My lap times were much better and for a while it looked like I was going to make the top ten, but then I got pushed down to P11 at the last moment. I?m happy with my lap and that was the limit for me today. P11 is a good place to start because it leaves us with more of a choice about the tyre strategy. The goal tomorrow is to push forward and try to score some points.?

Paul Di Resta (Q1: 1:22.043, P18): ?A tough session and I am a bit confused as to why we struggled so much on the soft tyre. Throughout all the sessions we?ve looked more competitive on the softs, but in Q1 they just didn?t switch on. We?ve given ourselves a lot of work to do tomorrow, but we will go away and come back refreshed and ready to fight.

We need to move forward so we will think hard tonight about the strategy, but at least we have plenty of new tyres available. I think the main puzzle we need to solve is what happened to our performance today so that we can bounce back tomorrow.?

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer: ?Finding the sweet spot with both cars has proved difficult this weekend and I think we saw the result of that in today?s qualifying performance. Adrian squeezed through to Q2 and set a time good enough to put him on the cusp of the top ten. That?s about where we expected our performance level to be and hopefully he can score points tomorrow.

The changes made to Paul?s car ahead of qualifying certainly helped our performance on the medium tyres, but he struggled for speed on the softs. That?s something we will try to understand tonight because we expected him to be much higher up the grid. It?s a tough track for overtaking, but we will do all we can to give Paul a strategy to bring him into the points.?

Sahara Force India Formula One Team

Source: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/sahara-force-india-s-sutil-will-start-tomorrow-s-hungarian-gp-from-p11/

2012 nfl draft picks andrew luck andrew luck trent richardson robert griffin iii